Friday, January 20, 2017

Promoting Archaeology at the 2017 Farm Show

The staff
of the Section of Archaeology at The State Museum of Pennsylvania just
completed a very busy week at the 2017 Pennsylvania Farm Show. Our theme for
this year’s exhibit was Pennsylvania
Petroglyphs – a rare glimpse into the minds of ancient Native Americans.

The
exhibit represents a major investment of staff and volunteers, but there is
no question that our presentation makes a difference in Pennsylvania
archaeology. We continued to see excitement in the eyes of children and adults as
they sat in the dugout or as they stood gazing at the banner illustrating the
Little Indian Rock petroglyphs or rubbing their hands over the resin cast of the Parkers Landing Water Panther petroglyph.

The dugout is still the place to
take the annual family picture and thousands were taken. We spoke to over
30,000 visitors and distributed over 13,500
archaeology brochures and over 3600 temporary tattoos, free planetarium passes and
magazines, including 750 copies of American Archaeology magazine, 1100 Archaeology
Month posters and 670 back issues of Pennsylvania Heritage Magazine. These were
especially important in promoting the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum
Commission, the State Museum, and the Heritage Foundation. In addition, the
Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology, Inc (SPA) had a table for distributing
information on archaeology and accepting new memberships.

Our principal goal at the Farm Show is to always share
highlights of Pennsylvania archaeology with the citizens of the Commonwealth
and encourage visitation to the State Museum where the learning experience
continues about Pennsylvania’s archaeological past. We also strive to promote
the preservation of archaeological sites in our state so that future
generations can benefit from these valuable resources. The high volume
of attendance is a testimony to the quality of the exhibit, the initiative of
our volunteers in engaging the public and the public’s interest in
archaeology.

Pennsylvania has
an outstanding wealth of archaeological resources that we believe can enhance
the lives of all citizens. Our exhibit
on the petroglyphs and the information that was disseminated is another step in
communicating this heritage to the citizens of our Commonwealth. This year, visitors were fascinated with the
mystery and meaning of the petroglyphs. As
you know, the archaeological resources of Pennsylvania are being destroyed at
an ever-increasing pace. We need help in slowing this destruction and the Farm
Show exhibit is a significant vehicle for the dissemination of information and for
increasing public awareness to the threats to archaeological resources.

Our exhibit was well received and we are beginning to plan
next year’s theme and reflect on how we can improve the presentation. For example, we are considering an exhibit featuring a Susquehannock longhouse. The
theme has been suggested several times in the past and it would coincide with
planned upgrades in our Indian village gallery - we are open to suggestions.

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One Tank Trip

WFMZ-TV 69 from Reading, Pennsylvania visited The State Museum of Pennsylvania on February 8th, 2017. Karin Mallett prepared a feature piece on great places to visit that are one tank of gas from Reading and our gallery was the focus of this visit. Karin interviewed Kurt Carr, Senior Curator and Janet Johnson in the gallery and provide a nice overview of the spectacular exhibits. Please click on the link below and enjoy this glimpse of the museum during this One Tank Trip!
One Tank Trip: Hall of Anthropology and Archaeology

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